LO 3: Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

For our special Chinese New Year service session with Bedok Peacehaven, I was effectively in charge of planning and leading the activity. I am the logistics officer of the service, and since it’s my job to prepare and manage the resources (CNY activities would be very-resource reliant), it made sense for me to lead this one. We had previously been unprepared when we arrived there, and were often uncertain as to what to do. To make sure this didn’t happen again, I investigated cultural mainstays of the Chinese New Year, and (of course backed up by some prior knowledge) found that lanterns were a good representation of the event, and would make for a (hopefully) enjoyable activity. To prepare for this, I scoured the internet for paper lantern cutouts, and found one that worked well. I practiced a few cutouts myself to make sure I knew what I was doing, and printed copies for the elderly when I had finalized it all. This meant that we came into service that day actually prepared and knowing what we were going to do. I acquired additional supplies (scissors, colouring pencils, glue) before leaving, and we left with an actual game plan for once. When we reached the location, I quickly demonstrated how to make the paper lanterns to my fellow service members, so that everyone knew what to do. What followed was perhaps the most fruitful service session we’ve had so far. The elderly really seemed to enjoy the activity, and we walked out not only with useful souvenirs for the high-tea lunch, but also a feeling of great reward and satisfaction.